Microscopy

The root powder has fairly abundant sclereids, which occur singly elongated, rectangular in outline. Lumen may be present or absent. Starch is sometimes present inside the large lumen. The abundant starch granules are simple and spherical to oval or sometimes elongated and rectangular in shape. No striation is present but a few starches have hilum. A group of cork cells, vessels with spiral thickening and cluster crystals of calcium oxalate are also present.

Colour tests

Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)

Test solution

:

Weigh about 4.0 g of L. pumila var. alata dried root powder in a 250 mL round bottom flask and add 15 mL of methanol into the flask. Reflux the sample for 1 hour and allow to cool. Filter the mixture and use the filtrate as the test solution.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Test solution

:

Extract about 5.0 g of L. pumila var. alata dried root powder with 100 mL of ethanol by reflux for 30 min. Filter the mixture through a filter paper. Evaporate the filtrate to dryness using a rotary evaporator. Then, dissolve 150.0 mg of the dried extract in 7.5 mL of methanol. Sonicate the mixture for 15 min and then centrifuge at 20,000 rpm for 15 min. Filter the supernatant through a 0.45 µm syringe filter and inject the filtrate into the HPLC column.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS

Methanolic extracts of the roots of L. pumila var. alata has been found to contain flavonoids (e.g. kaempferol, myricetin, naringin and rutin) and other phenolics (e.g. gallic acid and pyrogallol) [5].

Dichloromethane extract of the roots of L. pumila var. alata has been found to contain (Z)-5-(pentadec-4’-enyl)benzene-1,3-diol, (Z)-5-(pentadec-8’-enyl)benzene-1,3-diol and (Z)-5-(pentadec-10’-enyl)benzene-1,3-diol [6].

MEDICINAL USES

Uses described in folk medicine, not supported by experimental or clinical data

Kacip fatimah is consumed by a new mother to regain body strength, delay fertility and contract the birth channel [7]. In Malaysia, water decoction of the root or whole plant is traditionally consumed by the Malay women for induction and facilitation of labour, as well as for the treatment of flatulence, dysentery, dysmenorrhoea, gonorrhoea and “sickness in the bones” [2].

Clinical studies

Clinical studies have been conducted using whole plant water extracts [13,14], however, none is available for the root extract.

SAFETY INFORMATION

Preclinical studies (Toxicological studies)

Acute toxicicity

Oral single dose acute toxicity study on female Sprague Dawley rats (aged between 8 and 12 weeks old) using aqueous mixture of L. pumila var. alata root powder showed no toxic effects on the parameters observed, including behaviors, body weight, food and water intake. All rats were observed for 14 days prior to necropsy. No death was found throughout the study period. Necropsy revealed no significant abnormality. LD50 value was determined as > 2000 mg/kg. [15]